Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tuesday Treats: Pumpkin Cupcakes


The weather has been gorgeous here.  Sunny, no humidity and in the 70's.  LOVING it!  It made me want to break out the fall clothes and pumpkin pie!  Of course, I turned to Pintrest when I was craving a sweet treat on Sunday, and these were just perfect for my sluggish day, as they were EASY and tasty.

Cake Ingredients
1 box of any cake mix (I used the super moist yellow cake)
1 can pumpkin puree

Icing Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
8 ounce pkg of cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners in muffin tin (I always use my reusable silicone ones…my mom says this is "very green" of me which made me feel good!)
2.  Combine the pumpkin puree and cake mix.
3.  Fill up the muffin cups equally.
4.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.
5.  Allow to cool completely while you make the frosting.
6.  Combine all icing ingredients in mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
7.  Frost the cupcakes once completely cool.

Taste the deliciousness of fall….

…and if you are like me and ate two in one sitting, you must pack up the rest and share with friends and family! 

ENJOY!

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesday Wellness: Take Over Meal


When my parents moved a couple weeks ago, I knew they would be hungry after a big day of moving. I made this dinner for them and took it over for them to pop in the oven whenever they were ready.  Its a very simple dish to take over to anyone who may have just moved, had a baby, is ill, etc.  

Ingredients
Chicken breasts, 3
Red potatoes, quartered
Fresh green beans
Italian dressing seasoning pack
Olive oil (or butter)

Directions
Place chicken breasts in 9 X 13 baking dish, cover with potatoes and green beans.  Drizzle with olive oil (or butter) and sprinkle italian seasoning over top.  Cover and take to your friend or family!

When they are ready to eat, have them bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

ENJOY!


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Friday, September 7, 2012

Pintrest Project

So, I have this {gross} dish that sits on my bathroom counter to hold soap, lotion, and perfume.  When I bought it in Cape Code I was in love with it.  It was so sparkly and beautiful.  Well, now look at it.  GROSS!  So, once again, I turned to Pintrest for a little help.

 Just look at this bottom.  It makes me sad :(

So, Pintrest suggested I line a baking dish with crumbled up aluminum foil, fill it with boiling hot water, covering my piece, and sprinkle with baking soda.  VIOLA…the grime would be gone.


DID NOT WORK!

So, I turned to the next suggestion on Pintrest….toothpaste.  This made me nervous, to say the least.  And as I rubbed toothpaste all over one of my favorite pieces, with black foaming toothpaste filling the sink, I started to sweat.  What was I doing?!


BUT…it turned out great!  


 Now I have my perfectly beautiful piece all shined up for display again!  

Moral of the story:  Toothpaste works!  

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Fish Tacos

What girl wouldn't like a guy to bring her flowers and cook a healthy meal for her?

I was lucky enough to have that happen to me!  My California friend showed me a recipe of the west coast, which I will be sure to incorporate more often.

He baked tilapia in the oven with a rub covering on top.

 Sliced it up into bite size pieces...

…served with a bunch of toppings which included pico de gallo, lettuce, feta cheese, lime, and cilantro.

 To put it simply…it was DELICIOUS!

ENJOY!

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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

So Long Summer


I can't believe its SEPTEMBER!  Every year the summers seem to slip by quicker and quicker…I guess I'm just having more and more fun!

I wanted to soak up every last bit of the summer this weekend, so Friday after work, I headed to the pool.  It was so nice to sit there, read, and just look out onto the golf course.  

Later that night, I headed over to a friends' house for a wonderful, healthy dinner!  He made a delicious pork tenderloin with veggies.  It was so nice to relax, enjoy the meal with a cocktail and watch the Vols tackle NC State (Ok, I guess relax and football don't really go together well, but you know what I mean).

Even Bax was entertained!  Poor thing was put in this mini golf bag…but at least he got to join his mom for date night!  :)

Saturday I woke up bright and early and got some things done around the house before heading over to the pool with friends.  I got to catch up with Leslie and baby Hadley for lunch up in the club (poor Hadley…it was so humid and warm out, but she was a trooper!), and then headed back down to the pool for some R&R.  It might not have been the brightest day out, but we made up for it with orange crushes and cocktails poolside.  Even the adults were going off the slide!  It was a great last pool day of the year!  I will really miss seeing all the people at the pool over the next couple months!

Sunday I was invited to go to the Grand Prix.  I headed down to meet the group at the hotel and then we had some mimosas and bloody's before heading out on the town.  We made a couple bar stops and eventually got to our seats.  This, unfortunately, was the only picture I have of the races…and it was just the practice round!  They were going so fast, and apparently I am not coordinated enough to take a picture that quickly!
We headed over to Federal Hill (after quite an obstacle of fences and stairs from the Grand Prix set up) and had some apps and beverages.  

Needless to say,  I was ready to come home Monday morning to see my little boy and relax with him!  

I tried out this new Pintrest recipe I found the other day, as I was carb-craving!  It was DE-LISH!!!  Even Bax liked it!  I know, I'm a bad mom...

Garlic Bread Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta (recipe called for linguine, but this is what I had on hand, and it is always whole wheat in this house)
Breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Parsley
Garlic Powder Salt (I used plain garlic powder)

Directions
Toss pasta in olive oil.  Sprinkle remaining ingredients on top and mix well. 

ENJOY!
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